Five Minutes More
by whoa nellie
Summary: Jack and Beverly Crusher celebrate their son, Wesley's, fifth birthday with a trip to a First Contact Day festival.


FIVE MINUTES MORE

"Don't go too far, son," Jack Crusher called out as he watched little Wesley scamper ahead. They were celebrating Wesley's fifth birthday with a trip to the largest First Contact Day festival on Earth. He entwined his fingers with Beverly's and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"It's hard to believe he's five years old," she sighed. "It seems like just yesterday I was breaking your fingers during labor."

Jack flexed the fingers in question. "It was your idea, **Doctor** Crusher, to walk from our apartment to the hospital. 'It's only fifteen hundred meters and the walk will make my labor go faster and easier' you said."

"My labor did go faster," she replied with a grin.

Leaning over, he brushed her cheek with his lips. "Halfway to the hospital to be exact--that was the point at which you crushed two of my fingers. I then had to carry my very pregnant wife with said broken fingers the rest of the way."

"My hero," she sighed, bringing their joined hands up to kiss the back of his hand. "Of course you could have just called for emergency transport since we both had commbadges on."

He chuckled and shook his head ruefully at the memory of rushing awkwardly across the Starfleet campus with Bev in his arms. "I was a first-time father-to-be. I was only thinking about getting you to the hospital. I don't care what you say, an emergency transport is exactly how we're getting to the hospital next time."

"Mom, dad, hurry up," Wesley insisted. He ran back and forth between his ambling parents and the massive aquarium ahead as if to physically drag them there faster.

"The dancing fish of Aquatica," Jack read the display information. "How do you suppose they taught the fish to dance in synchronization like that?"

Wesley shot his father the most supercilious expression that his five year old face could manage. "The fish aren't really dancing, the music is sending sonic waves over their lateral line causing pressure waves that trigger hairs along the sensory line that tell the fish to move. It just looks like they're dancing because their movements are so fast and the music is timed to coordinate with them."

Releasing Beverly's hand, Jack swept Wes up into a bear hug. "You are so smart, they can't get anything by you. What do you want to do next?"

"Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel," Wes chanted.

Jack shifted Wes up so he was sitting on his shoulder. "The Ferris wheel it is. Come on, mom."

Side by side, Wes looked so much like his father. Both were wearing adorable expressions of boyish delight and she wished that she had an imager to capture that moment. "I'm coming, lead the way."

In short order, the three were ensconced in a seat traveling around the large wheel. As they circled the ride, they could see for kilometers into the distance, the lights of the carnival and the throngs of people walking around the fair were dwarfed by the mountains far off in the distance and the ocean in the other direction. Night was just starting to fall and one by one, the stars lit up the evening sky. Their seat stopped near the top of the wheel, giving them a wonderful view.

"What's that one?" Wes asked, pointing into the sky.

"That's Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder," Jack replied. He took Wes' hand and guided his finger around the constellation. "Ophiuchus is holding Serpens, there's serpens caput --or the head and there's the tail--serpens cauda."

"Have you ever been there, dad?"

Jack grinned and ruffled his hair before resting his arm on the back of the seat. "I've been much farther away than that."

"Cool," Wes gushed. "When I grow up, I'm going to be in Starfleet and go to far away places just like you except I'm going to captain my own ship."

Laughing, Jack gently rocked the seat as they started moving once again. "What about Captain Picard? What would he do for a crew?"

"He can keep the Stargazer, there's lots of other people there; but you should have your own ship so then mom and I could go with you when you leave," Wes said.

Beverly nuzzled Jack's hand resting near her shoulder. "Mom seconds that opinion."

"Some day," Jack promised them both. All too soon the ride was over and he lifted Wes high in the air before swooping him down and setting him on the ground. When he turned to help Beverly out, he surprised her by sweeping her into his arms for a dramatic dip and brief kiss. Spinning her back upright, he gallantly offered his arm and steadied her as she stepped down.

"It's getting late," Beverly said. "We should probably go."

"Oh mom, please, can't we stay a little longer? Five more minutes, please, it's my birthday," Wes begged.

Jack thrust his bottom lip out in a mock pout. "Five more minutes, mom, please; it's his fifth birthday."

"Okay," she relented with a chuckle at their matching, pleading expressions. "Five more minutes."

"Yay!" both Crusher men cheered in unison, dancing around.

Jack held out his hand to Beverly and turned to follow their son. "Besides, I have to leave tomorrow and I don't know when I'll get another chance to take some leave. I want to spend every minute possible enjoying my family."

Beverly waited until Wes had scurried out of earshot before replying. "The longer we spend here, the less time your loving wife has to give you something to remember her by when you go."

"Five more minutes, Wes," Jack called out, walking a little faster.

FINIS


End file.
